~ Chapter 8 ~

I ran to the cabin, knowing Dimitri would find me no matter what. I climbed into the bed and cocooned myself in the blanket, my thoughts temporarily on when Dimitri and I had first had sex. After we had done it, we lay tangled under the blanket and talked. Our conversation had been deep at some points and superficial at others. It was a memory I cherished. I had laid like this then as well, not willing to leave the perfect world we had been living in to go back to the harsh reality. I remembered how Dimitri had coaxed me out with kisses. As I heard his footsteps approach I wondered if he would do the same thing now.

I must have looked like a mess. I didn't cry easily, but somehow the surprise of seeing my father had broken through the defenses I had built. He found me with the blanket pressed close to my face and tears in my eye. His eyes widened slightly, but he didn't hesitate to lay down next to me and pull me close to him. In the comfort of his arms I began to calm down. Taking deep breaths, I managed to slow my tears. When I had finally calmed down, Dimitri kissed my cheek.

"I know it's hard. I know you weren't expecting this, but everything's going to be okay," he whispered in my ear.

"How? How could he just show up one day and say 'hi I'm your father'?" I asked. I wasn't crying anymore, but the hysteria in my voice was still obvious.

Dimitri hugged me tighter. "I don't know. Maybe your mother didn't want you to meet him until you graduated. Maybe he didn't want to rub off on you. I've heard of Abe and not many of those things were good. There could be so many reasons. And look at the bright side. You know who your father is now. Most dhampirs don't get that luxury and if they do..." his eyes darkened, no doubt thinking about his own father. "If they do, it's not always a good thing."

"I'm sorry," I said softly. I knew that despite how cool I thought it was that he beat up his father when he was younger, it was something that had left emotional scars on him. But I knew he was right about my father. It didn't matter that it was eighteen years late. It mattered that I was being given the opportunity most dhampirs never get. I closed my eyes and took a steady breath. I was beginning to feel embarrassed at how I had reacted. I will run into a cave full of Strigoi, yet I can't take on my father. I looked up at him and leaned up so our lips were almost touching. Dimitri slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. It was unlike any other kiss we had ever shared. Usually, we are wild and fast and intense as we were kissing after I provoked him or after we had almost lost each other. We didn't need to do that here. We were able to take our time and really let it build up to something. There was something incredibly sensual about taking our time. We weren't ripping each other's clothes off trying to get as close as possible. instead, we were really taking the time to get to know each other's bodies in a way we never could before. There was something magical about it. We were in serious danger of doing more than kissing when he pulled away. "You need to get ready for your graduation party," he reminded me as he broke our embrace. I could see the sliver of control that he had found to break our kiss and I knew any resistance from me would shatter that.

"I don't want to go," I told him grumpily.

"Yes you do. You're just angry about your father," Dimitri pointed out. "This is a party – which I know you love. Go and have a good time tonight. And maybe actually get to know your father a little." I hated when he was right. He helped me stand up and he walked me back to my dorm. We walked hand in hand, attracting several stares.

When we got to my room, I expected him to leave, but instead he sat down on my bed and waited for me.

I decided to take another shower to calm my nerves and when I came back to my room in my towel, he was still there, sitting patiently on my bed. When I came back his eyebrows shot up. "Why… why didn't you get dressed in the bathroom?" He asked me trying to sound like it was no big deal. I felt a warm flush rush through me from the way he was looking at me.

I winked at him. "I forgot my bra," I said to him with a mischievous grin.

"You're not going to make this easy for me are you?" He asked me, a hint of a strain in his voice.

"Make what easier?" I asked innocently. I went to my closet and grabbed my skimpiest black bra. I spun to face him, twirling my bra on my finger.

He groaned. "You have a graduation party to get to," he said. It seemed like he was warning himself more than me.

"And when have I ever been on time for anything?" I asked him.

He was clearly still trying to convince himself that we shouldn't do anything. That's not what I wanted. "Oops," I said as I intentionally dropped my towel. His eyes almost popped out of his head and any of his self-control vanished. His eyes raked my naked body as if he were looking at a masterpiece. I slowly walked towards him, hoping that what little self-control keeping him on my bed would vanish.

"We really can't do anything," he told me, but I saw in his eyes that he really wanted to. He also hadn't looked away from me. With anyone else I would have felt self-conscious, but not with him. "You have to get dressed."

I was about to object when I heard a knock on the door. I looked at Dimitri panicked. "Who is it?" I called.

"It's your mother… And your father…" She said hesitantly.

I looked at Dimitri, now terrified. "Just a minute," I told my mother. I quickly got dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and pushed Dimitri into my closet. We may not have to hide anymore, but I had a feeling my mother wouldn't be receptive to him being in my bedroom.

I went to open my door and my mom was standing outside, looking at me nervously. She was afraid of what my reaction would be. Well I wasn't going to disappoint her. "What do you want?" I asked her in my most bitchy voice.

Her eyes narrowed a little bit. It was what she had expected, but that didn't mean I wasn't frustrating. "We wanted to come talk to you and walk you to your party. We could wait outside while you get ready," she offered. I could see that she was genuinely trying to smooth things over with me and I had to remind myself that it was better late than never. The problem is, I've never been good at hiding my feelings.

"Dimitri is going to walk me to the party," I told her stiffly.

She made a face at his name. Despite her speech before, she really wasn't okay with me dating the man that used to be my mentor. The stigma of guardians dating was so strongly ingrained in most people that she was having trouble accepting it. "We would really like to talk to you…" she started.

"Well I have no interest in talking to either one of you right now, so if you don't mind leaving so I could get ready," I requested angrily. I took a deep breath, remembering what Dimitri had said to me before. "Look, I know you mean well, but I need a little time before I'm ready to talk about this."

I think it was the sincerity in my voice, but neither of them decided to press me. I was surprised at how quiet my father had been. Not that he had been particularly vocal up to the point, he had only spoken long enough to tell me that he was my father. I was surprised that he didn't have more to say. I guess I just always imagined I got my impulsiveness from him, because I certainly didn't get it from my mother. "We'll talk later," my mom said warningly.

"Maybe," I said to her. I couldn't help but be a little bitchy. They had sprung this on me so I didn't feel that bad about it.

She and my Dad walked out of my room. I walked to my door and waited until they had disappeared around the corner. Then I went to my closet and pulled Dimitri out. I couldn't help but giggle about how he had hidden in my closet when my parents came by.

I took off my shirt and shorts and heard Dimitri groan behind me. Ignoring him, I went to my closet and took out my dress. I didn't have many chances to dress up, but I was always ready when the opportunity presented itself. When I was fully dressed, I brushed my hair and put on a little bit of make-up. I didn't do anything special, but I didn't feel the need to.

Dimitri came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist. He kissed my cheek. "You look beautiful," he told me affectionately.

I grinned at him and turned so I could kiss him for real. It was still so new to us and I was excited for the new level of intimacy we would be able to reach this way. We broke apart too soon and started to walk to my party. I held onto his hand tightly.

We walked into the room my party was being held in. Everyone cheered for me, and I found myself grinning back at them. I couldn't help myself as I put my arms up into the air as a sign of victory. Everyone came up to congratulate me. I smiled and hugged everyone. I also made sure that Eddie got the appropriate attention. I may have had the best scores, but Eddie had also surpassed the scores of our peers.

It was a little awkward when Tasha came up to congratulate me. It was extremely obvious that she was not over Dimitri yet. She flirted with him and I could tell from the way he tightened his hold on my hand that she made him uncomfortable. Regardless, I tried to be civil towards her. I could only imagine how difficult this was for her. I was getting my happily ever after, but it was at the expense of her happiness. It almost made me feel guilty. Almost.

My biggest shock of the night came when me and Eddie were talking about the trials. This was the first time we had a chance to casually talk. "How did your trials go?" I asked him.

"They were good. A little tricky towards the end of the maze when I had to fight three or four guardians at once in that enclosed space," he told me. "But I made it through."

"Maze?" I asked him confused. "I didn't go through a maze…" I vaguely remembered that there was an area far past the bridge that could have easily been a maze. Eddie must have maneuvered in such a way that he got to that area. "What did you do on the bridge?"

"The bridge?" Eddie asked. His confusion matched mine now. "I went over it? What else were we supposed to do?"

Dimitri's hold on my hand tightened again and I glanced at him just in time to see him throw a warning glance towards Eddie. It dawned on me that something wasn't right. "You didn't have to fight off guardians on both sides of the bridge." I didn't say it like it was a question. I turned to Dimitri. I didn't say anything, I just waited. He was pointedly avoiding my eyes, but he couldn't wait forever.

Surprisingly, it was Eddie that pressed the issue. "Why didn't she go through the maze?" he asked.

Dimitri didn't look at me as he said, "Rose had a different scenario than everyone else."

"What? How is that fair?" I asked him annoyed.

Eddie looked thoughtful. "Why did she have a different scenario?" He asked curiously.

"Because her real-life experience surpasses that of her peers," Dimitri explained. "After the attack on the school, we recognized that your abilities exceeded that of most fully trained guardians, much less the novices. The other guardians did not feel it would be fair to put her in the same situation. Though I do believe you got your revenge when you broke the bridge Rose." There was an amused twinkle in his eyes.

I grinned at the memory. "What else was I supposed to do?" I asked him with a frown. It had been an impossible scenario and I had credited my success with it to my ability to take on impossible tasks.

"I honestly don't think they knew," Dimitri admitted.

I was angry about it, but Dimitri soon forced me back into the festivities and the injustice of my trials was soon forgotten. I successfully avoided my parents and before I knew it, the party was over and Dimitri was leading me back to his room.